This disclosure relates to interior lighting panels for passenger aircraft, in general, and in particular, to an improved aircraft ceiling mounted lighting panel adapted to display a starry nighttime sky effect.
Passenger aircraft that operate over long distances during the night typically include interior lighting arrangements that provide substantially reduced ambient light so that passengers can sleep comfortably, but which is still bright enough to enable those passengers who choose not to sleep to move about the cabin safely. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, some models of the Boeing 777 passenger jet incorporate ceiling panels 100 that incorporate light emitting diodes (LEDs) that are arranged so as to blink in random patterns against a gray or dark blue background, and which, in a reduced ambient light condition, gives the relaxing, soporific appearance of a starry nighttime sky, and hence, is referred to as a “Starry Sky” ceiling lighting arrangement.
FIG. 2 illustrates a conventional Starry Sky lighting panel 100 swung down along a long edge thereof to expose the complex discrete wiring and electrical components located on the back surface thereof. The existing arrangement uses Diehl Aerospace lenses, lens holders, hardwired LEDs, wire bundles deployed on individual standoffs, and discrete power conditioning and control components that are integrated in a relatively complicated manufacturing process to produce a panel that gives the desired effect. In a typical installation, the aircraft may contain about 70 such panels 100, each of which may be about 4-6 ft. long, 2-3 ft. wide, and contain about 70 or more LEDs.
The disadvantages and limitations of this prior art solution are that the method of producing the panel is costly and relatively heavy, requires intensive, ergonomically costly manual labor steps, takes up a relatively large volume behind the ceiling panels and is difficult to retrofit into existing aircraft.
In light of the foregoing, there is a need in the relevant industry for an aircraft ceiling lighting panel that provides a Starry Sky effect through a “solid state” method that does not use Diehl lenses, lens holders, wired LEDs and complex associated point-to-point wiring, reduces panel weight, volume, manual fabrication and assembly labor and cost, eliminates repetitive injuries, and which can easily be retrofitted into existing aircraft.